It is common in the field of molding, and in particular, in the field of molding plastic parts, to provide injection molds, where the part to be molded is defined by a cavity, profiled in the corresponding molds. Obviously, the injection molten plastic fills the cavity void, and defines the injection molded part by the cavity void. When passageways are to be defined in the molded part, so-called core pins are positioned on corresponding mold halves, such that the injected plastic fills the void, but leaves a passageway where the core pins existed, after the part is removed. One such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,479, incorporated herein by reference.
So is the case when molding plastic housings for electrical connectors. Typically, mold tooling will include a plurality of cavities for “multi-shot” injection molding, of a plurality of electrical connectors. The electrical connector housings include a plurality of passageways extending between a mating face and a rear face, and are generally profiled to receive electrical contacts or terminals therein. A plurality of core pins exist to define the passageways, such as various geometries, shoulders for locking lances and the like.
In recent years, electrical connectors have become smaller; have overall reduced dimensions and center-line spacings, and at the same time, have become more complicated in design, requiring primary and secondary locking for the terminals, terminal position assurance devices (TPA), shunting, and the like. Resultantly, it is sometimes necessary then to increase the pressure of the injection molded plastic in order to fill the ever decreasing interstices of the mold cavity.
All of the above factors have increased the complexity of the molding process. As the core pins are cantilevered within the molding cavity, it is not uncommon to have core pins deflect due to the enormous pressure within the cavity. Deflected core pins result in passageways which may be off center relative to their specifications.
Thus, the objects of the invention are to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art mold tooling.